Hands on with the Samsung Mesmerize [video]

U.S. Cellular just released the Samsung Mesmerize, and we have one in our hands to check out. There's not a lot here that's new, the phone is basically the Samsung Fascinate, with half the bloat and none of the Bing. And that is a good thing. It has the same gorgeous 4-inch Super AMOLED display, the same Hummingbird 1 GHz chip and blazing fast GPU as the rest of the Galaxy S line, two GB internal storage, and a slightly modified version of TouchWiz that resembles the Epic 4G's software.

First impression? U.S. Cellular has one of the best Android phones made today in their arsenal with the Mesmerize. And the name is pretty cool as well. There's a video after the break, be sure to have a look.

Samsung Mesmerize rooted

It will likely never be the most popular device, but the Samsung Mesmerize is a hell of a phone, and to me, part of reviewing it is using it the way I would if it were mine as well as designed. So I decided I was gonna poke around and root the darn thing. It appears that U.S. Cellular or Samsung has done nothing to block access, and the rageagainstthecage exploit by C-skills works just fine. Then, as luck would have it, I was shown the SuperOneClick program, which uses the same exploit, found someone to help confirm, and it works great!

So if any of you picked up a Mesmerize, and want to really own it, grab the app and give it a go, then head into the Mesmerize forums and we can compare notes. Know that it breaks your warranty, and if something happens you're out $500.00. [Android Central Forums]

Hands on with the myTouch ROM port to the Evo 4G [video]

Over the weekend I got my hands on a myTouch 4G ROM that has been ported over to the Evo 4G. It's a rather functional port, but like Phil said in his video of the myTouch - Nexus One port, it's not something you'd want to use every day. However, it was nice to get in some time with the new version of Sense UI -- something I really hope HTC releases for their current lineup of "next gen" devices. So if you love getting your hands on new ROMs, or haven't given the new Sense UI a test drive yet, consider checking this one out.

The self-proclaimed mad scientist responsible for "Frankensteining" this ROM can be found over at XDA, so if you have any questions or comments regarding his work, you know where to find him. [via XDA Developers]

Sony's Android Playstation Phone poses for pictures

Sony's new phone -- simply dubbed the "Playstation phone" -- has appeared in more pictures. And if there's ever an indication that it's Android-based, well, here you go. It's still very much in prototype form, according to Engadget, but the pictures are unmistakable. This bad boy is Android, through and through. Sure, a custom skin is more than likely. But still.

Above, you see a picture that closely resembles what was predicted in August. Here are the rumored specs:

MircoSD slot -- no Sony Memory Stick -- thank whomever it is you thank for that sort of thing.

The screen is between 3.7 and 4.1-inches -- that's a pretty large range, and we're learning toward the larger end.

So when we get down to it, we're looking at Sony's bad-arse Playstation controller coupled with high-end hardware -- higher than just about anything currently available, actually. So the hardware should be set. Let's just hope the software and UI don't blow it. More at the source link. [Engadget]

New Evo 4G update leaks out, is rooted

We stumbled across a minor update release for the Evo 4G, in RUU form. In an attempt to find out which files have been modified in the update, the XDA faithful have already cracked it open, rooted it, and are in the process of further exploration. Expect to see some new ROMs built on this update over the coming days.

According to XDA member joeykrim, this update brings changes to the kernel, Recovery.img, hboot, and many .jar files within the framework.

If you're rooted, it might be a good idea to hold off for a few days in case there are any surprises waiting in this update. But if you're feeling adventurous, go ahead and grab the rooted update and start flashing (your ROM). [via XDA, rooted version]

Manually update Motorola Cliq to 2.1

It seems like only yesterday we mentioned that some lucky testers would be getting the Motorola Cliq Android 2.1 update early. Of course today being the big day meant that we had to dig around to try to get things set up for the people who didn't make the cut for the testing group, and we came across a really cool find -- the official instructions and download link that went out to the testers is public on the web, and anyone is able to download the files and update their Cliq to Eclair!

Team DeFuse has overclocked the Droid X and Droid 2 to CPU speeds upwards of 2 GHz. Yes, 2 Ghz. We don't have a lot of details, aside from a couple pictures and a short video that doesn't really show us anything, so these guys know how to tease and hold our attention as well as overclock their hardware. Word is that a stable version is in the works and they plan on releasing it to the rest of the world soon. In the meantime, I'd love to see a couple benchmarks to see how it affects CPU performance. Throw us a bone, fellas! The mentioned teaser video is after the break. [Droid-Life]

Update:According to the developer of SetCPU, we've all been duped: "Okay, the 2GHz video is a deliberate and obvious hoax, not even confusion." It's a shame, I was really wanting this for the X and the D2, and I know a lot of you guys did as well. Note to hackers -- don't get upset when asked for proof before we write up your work in the future.

Update 2: We love nerdfights! (especially when we aren't doing any of the fighting). Up top is a new video we just received, along with some choice words for the SetCPU developer. I'm not really sure what the video is trying to show, so I'll be blunt -- I want to believe, but I want benchmarks. George W said it best -- "Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, we don't get fooled again."

Epic 4G modded to charge on Palm Touchstone

I think we can admit that we're all just a bit jealous of Palm's Touchstone charging station. The act of simply plugging your phone into its charger doesn't pose any real challenge, and it's nothing new in the world of electronic devices. But there's no cool factor there, and fumbling around for your charger in the dark is no fun.

Perhaps that's what drove forum member d94 to sacrifice his warranty, time, and potentially his Epic 4G to bring us this impressive mod. In the nine pictures posted in his thread, it almost looks like an easy mod with minimal soldering and "Oh god I hope I don't break this" moments. Perhaps an easy task for the seasoned modder.

According to d94, not a single one of the Epic's basic functions had to be sacrificed for this mod either. The charging LED still behaves the same way, and when mounted in his car, GPS is fully functional.

Hands on with the myTouch 4G ROM port on the Nexus One [video]

Last night we brought you news of the myTouch 4G ROM ported to the Nexus One (and you got a plethora of screen shots to go with it). Today we bring you video of the ROM in action. It's the Espresso flavor of Sense, much like what's on the myTouch 3G Slide, and so it's not entirely new to us here. But it's definitely worth further review.

Again, this is some pure witchcraft -- and we mean that in the coolest way possible -- by eViL D:, who has put out a new release since we recorded this video. Video playback has been fixed, and some space has been freed up.

Epic 4G owner tears apart keyboard to get custom gaming controls

Even with all these old gaming console emulators running wild on the Android Market, it is still hard to believe someone would willingly utterly destroy their Epic 4G's keyboard to make it more useful for gaming. Still, that is just what Android user Cary Golomb did. In short, he removed the entire keyboard from the phone, decided what keys he needed to keep for gaming (remember, the phone is fully usable with just the touchscreen), and proceeded to cut out the unneeded buttons with a knife. His final step was to paint over the areas where he had removed keys, which gives the phone a more slick look (as seen above).

This sort of mod is not for the faint of heart, or the beginner. Or sane people. And you can bet resell value for this thing is practically nothing as well. All that being said, some of you hardcore gamers out there might find this attractive, at least until that rumored Android 3.0 PSPhone comes out. Check out a video of the whole thing in action after the break. [BrainLazy via Phandroid]

T-Mobile G2 overclock gets even better -- and released [video]

That T-Mobile G2 overclock from yesterday? It just got faster, and released to the public! As the developer says, his particular G2 can reach 1420 MHz, but most all G2 CPU's should see a significant overclock, making the already fast little phone that much faster. The developer's words say it best:

"...after an overclock and a tiny voltage increase, the G2 basically blowsevery retail Android phone out of the water (even overclocked)"

It's not quite automatic, but the instructions are straightforward and simple enough, and the source was released along with the binary. Big bucket of GPL love goes out to you, Mike.

Check out the video after the break, and hit the source link for full instructions and download links. Then jump into the G2 forums and let's see some benchmark scores. [XDA-Developers] Thanks, Mike, for the method and the heads up!

If you're looking to try your hand on the T-Mobile myTouch 4G, you're in luck. It's up and running in basic form, thanks to eViL D: porting that leaked ROM over to the Nexus One. Wifi, Bluetooth and the cell radios are working; the camera, video and the new Wifi calling are out, for now. But it's definitely up and running and is a great primer for how things will work when the myTouch 4G is finally released. This isn't one of those flash-and-go ROMs -- you'll need to follow the directions. But we got it up and running -- and now we want the myTouch 4G, stat. [XDA Developers via Android Central Forums] Thanks, Josh!

MyTouch 4G media roundup [From the Forums]

A new device usually means a new leak of the ROM, which means new media to put on our devices! The new HTC Sense UI means most of the goodies don't ship with the device, instead you download pre-built themes from HTC. Thankfully T-Mobile has provided us with three pre-installed theme bundles, and we sucked out anything and everything we could. Check the links below, and if you're not getting the myTouch 4G, maybe your current phone can look like one.

T-Mobile G2 still locked, but overclocking makes it a monster

The T-Mobile G2 just got even even better, as the release of the kernel source brings an overclock and giant speed boost to the already fast-as-all-get-out G2 (see our review with stock benchmarks here). Yes it's still locked, but smart folks always end up doing smart things and coolbho3k (the man behind setCPU, and overclocking genius) has worked out a method, and may even be releasing it tonight. Hit the break for some benchmark scores, everyone loves benchmarks! [@coolbho3k]

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